


Purrfect

by twitch



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - School, Crushes, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Secret Crush, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 04:37:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17842586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twitch/pseuds/twitch
Summary: Valentine's Day, then and now. What a difference ten years make. But at least for Armitage both times involve Ben, and that makes it all the better.





	Purrfect

**Author's Note:**

> I just wasn't able to organise myself last week to write all the ideas I had on the respective days that the themes for kylux romance week came up. As it is this is a combination of two days and themes. Day 4& 5 respectively, secret crush and Valentine's Night. Except it's Valentine's Day, x2.

It had been less than a week since his dad and Maratelle moved to America. It hadn’t been a horrible experience, the flight over not as bad as Maratelle originally feared. He had been excited, what with it being his first time on a plane. 

Arriving and settling into their new home was weird, the house so empty compared to the place they left behind. His clothes were the first thing unpacked and his new bed had arrived the day of. Both pillows were comfy and the thick duvet was much warmer than the old one, donated to a local charity. Well, what had been local back in England. The duvet was the only thing that made his room look like his own. Maratelle let him choose the colour. His room was bare otherwise, at his dad’s insistence that his toys were not coming with them. The few decorations that he did have mysteriously never found their way into their luggage or boxes. Fortunately Maratelle had insisted they bring his books along. She promised she and him would find new things for his room on the weekend.

School was the one thing that his dad and Maratelle talked about when they thought he was asleep. Maratelle had insisted that they take advantage of the company’s early offer to move over after the Christmas vacation. His dad didn’t budge; he wanted to wait for cheaper plane tickets, at the beginning of February. Letting him settle into a new school routine at the beginning of the year never crossed his dad’s mind. He would adjust just fine.

Not that school was bad. The teachers were nice and even though his classmates asked him questions about his accent they didn’t tease him. It was hard to tell how he was doing with his classes after three days but he could say he wasn’t struggling. 

Being the quiet boy with the British accent simply meant that he hadn’t had time to make friends with anyone. At least not yet. 

Watching his class exchange Valentine’s cards during first period Armitage noticed how no one was coming over to his desk. Everyone else had at least a handful of cards. He had none.

At recess he followed the mob of kids emerging through the double doors into the schoolyard. He walked while they scrambled to all the best playing spots, to the snow-covered field with the jungle-gym/slide/swingset or the blacktop, for the basketball hoop and the tetherball poles.

Yesterday, the morning after the snowfall, he watched several kids have a snowball fight. He didn’t ask to join in but was fascinated by how quickly they made their snowballs. Then he had helped to add to their ammunition pile and this morning he resumed his task. 

He didn’t listen to what exactly the kids were yelling to each other. Didn’t realise when one of them was actually calling him. It wasn’t until he felt a tap on his shoulder that he looked up, snowball between his mitten covered hands.

The kid before him had dark hair, short except for the fringe that fell over his forehead. “Do you remember me?”

It took Armitage a moment to remember his name. He sat on the far side of the classroom, facing the windows. “Is it Ben?”

Ben showed off a gap-tooth grin. “That’s me. I wanted to give you something in class. When everyone was giving out Valentines. I noticed that no one gave you a card.”

“I got here late.” Armitage shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t need one.”

“But I have one for you,” Ben insisted. Started to unzip his jacket, fumbling for what must’ve been an inside pocket. “And I think it’s perfect for you.”

Armitage set his snowball down. His mittens made it hard to take the card so he pulled them off. “It’s a cat.”

“A red cat, like you!” Ben grinned, paused. “You’re not a cat.”

His fingers were getting cold but he didn’t mind them, a smile pulling on his lips. It wasn’t a real cat on the card, drawn more like a cartoon, standing on its back paws. Its front paws held a red and pink heart. More hearts decorated the edges of the card but only the paw-held heart was big enough to have words in it.

“You’re Purr-fect.” Armitage laughed. “Thank you. I don’t have a card for you though.”

“That’s okay.” Ben shuffled on his feet, looking back to the snowball fight, still going strong. “You want to join us? You should be able to use the snowballs you’re making and not just save them for us.”

The card was small enough to fit in his pocket. He picked up his mitts, nodding quickly. “If it’s okay with your friends.”

“Yeah!” Ben almost grabbed his arm to lead him into the frozen battlefield but stopped. Kneeled down to grab two snowballs. “Take some snowballs with you. How good a throw are you?”

Ten years later Armitage peered down the hallway one more time. There were a few students taking things out of their lockers but none of them concerned him. Ben had probably already headed off to his next class. Armitage should’ve been in class but had told his teacher the previous day he’d be a little late. His excuse was he needed to make a phone call to make an appointment with his family doctor but truth was he needed privacy to drop something off in Ben’s locker. 

Somewhere between grade two and grade twelve Armitage’s feelings for his best friend became more. He never dared say it aloud, fearful in part what it meant. He had noticed in middle school, when Ben somehow managed to get roped into kissing tag with a select group of kids, that he was frowning more and more with every girl who pressed their lips to Ben’s cheeks. One girl even went for a peck on the lips. Armitage at first thought he was upset that he wasn’t invited to play but when one girl after the game asked Ben if he would go to the movies with her Armitage realised it was for the attention Ben was getting. That the only attention Ben should be getting ought to be from him.

Armitage got attention for other reasons, usually because he was smart. Sometimes girls asked him for explanations for questions or subjects they were struggling on in class. Yet he didn’t feel his stomach flutter for their thankful smiles, or felt his stomach tense when Ben admitted that the trip to the movies was fun.

Every time Ben smiled at him Armitage’s face heated up, stomach feeling like a line and hook was drawing him nearer, deeper, into his want for his best friend. 

If Ben wanted to ask why he was slipping the Valentine’s Card into his locker Armitage planned on making it a joke, but also an anniversary for when they first became friends. By some sheer luck he even found the exact same card, a cartoon cat holding a heart that read “You’re Purr-fect!”

Standing in front of Ben’s locker, checking the hallway one last time, he twisted the lock to the right digits. Used tape to secure the card to the shelf, eye level for Ben.

Ben may never know how perfect he was to him but Armitage was okay with that.

They shared their final period together. Their desks were not beside each other but Ben was there, waiting for him to make eye contact. Ben grinned, that same precious smile that caught his attention all those years ago.

He hoped he wasn’t blushing as he took his seat.

“How did you even find the same card?” Ben asked at his locker, loading his backpack while Armitage waited beside him.

“Luck.” Luck that the fifth card store he went to had the very card he was looking for. “I couldn’t not pick it up.”

Ben chuckled under his breath before grabbing his jacket. “It was a sign. But now I have to do something for you.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Armitage glanced sideways, watching another student leave. They were the last two in the hallway. Was there any merit to tell Ben? Drop a hint? “It was... I finally got to return your gesture.”

It was an acceptable explanation, Ben nodding. “What do you have planned this afternoon?”

Pining. 

“Nothing.”

The glance Ben spared him had nothing to do with determining who else was standing nearby. His expression was pleasant but was heavy in thought. “It… It feels like you’ve been quiet this week.”

“I’ve been planning the best time to give you the card,” Armitage replied, a silent laugh pulling the corner of his mouth up quickly.

“You spend too much time thinking.” Ben tapped Armitage’s temple, his gaze lightening. 

It took on a different slant when Armitage swallowed, lips parting. Breath frozen, tight in his throat, he resolved to not move to lean into the press of Ben’s finger. Not even when one finger became three, sweeping back through his hair, thumb tentative when it ghosted the side of his face. 

His whole hand shifted when Armitage leaned in closer, guiding him until their lips were millimetres apart. 

A locker slammed shut and Armitage jumped back.

Ben twisted around, glaring to the empty hallway. Softened his expression when he turned to face him again. “Would you – come to my place?”

Armitage’s fingers itched to latch onto Ben’s twitching fingers. Instead he brushed his knuckles against Ben’s, licking his lips before pressing them together. “Yeah.”

The walk to Ben’s place was faster than normal. And though they each had homework their backpacks hit the floor at the same time. The house was empty, the bedroom door left open. Armitage stepped up to Ben, eyes flitting from Ben’s mouth to his eyes and back. Nerves hadn’t abated, felt stronger if anything. Yet his fingers drifted to Ben’s neck, curling around to his nape when Ben’s found the back of his head again.

Short breaths over parted lips teased before the first peck of lips, dry but gentle, reassured them both.

Lying on their sides, facing each other, Armitage detached himself from the lips he had longed for. Dragged his thumb over Ben’s lower lip, freeing it from between his teeth. “You really are perfect,” Armitage whispered. 

Ben kissed his thumb before smiling, inching closer. “So are you.”

Armitage happily curled his arms around Ben’s waist when he nudged his hand away, busying him with kisses they were becoming more adept at. For one afternoon homework could wait for later, new lessons of exploring each other being the favoured.


End file.
